I’m sure you heard it said “the darkest hour is just before dawn.” When God appeared to Samuel we read that “it was right before the lights went out.” This has been accepted as the darkest hour.  I like what Philip and Ogilvie say about this: “There is a certain symbolism in these words, in that it was at the darkest hour of the night and just before the dawn of a new day that the Lord called Samuel. And in the coming of the Word of the Lord to Samuel, and through him to the people, light also came into the darkness of that time. Word and light went together in that situation, and word and light go together here also. For any forward movement—and the children of Israel were about to move forward from Sinai toward the Promised Land—the need is both for the Word of the Lord and the light of the Lord shining in the midst.” When God’s Word is heard, His light shines into the darkness of the hearts of men. Psalm 119 verse 105 says, “Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

The seven lamps of Numbers chapter 8 are symbolic of the light God shines on those who listen to His Word. Jesus even compared himself to this lampstand in John 8:12. It says, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” If the darkest hour is just before dawn, the brightest hour is the one we dedicate ourselves to follow Jesus.